Crazy Horse nude revue coming to MGM Grand

Thursday, May 24, 2001 | 10:39 a.m.

The late Alain Bernardin, a French show producer who innovated the famed Crazy Horse nude revue, was fascinated by the American Wild West, including its cowboy saloons and gun-slinging tales.

His bawdy shows from 1951-60 at the Crazy Horse on Avenue Georges V in Paris were patterned after the American strip-tease. Then he was swept up in the avant-guarde world of 1960s' Pop Art and New Realism and transformed his show into the "theatre of nude action" for which it has gained world acclaim.

Now, the Crazy Horse has come full circle, bringing its show to the American West that Bernardin loved for an extended engagement at the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

MGM Mirage officials announced today that "La Femme," direct from the Crazy Horse, will establish its "permanent home" at the MGM Grand, starting with its premier on June 14.

Tickets will be $49 apiece. Shows will be nightly at 8 and 10:30 p.m., dark on Tuesdays. No one under age 21 will be admitted, MGM officials said.

"La Femme combines the ever-increasing level of sophistication of Las Vegas shows with the city's world-renowned history of featuring beautiful women in shows," said Richard Sturm, MGM/Mirage president of entertainment and sports.

"(The show) brings the French reverence for for sensuality and the famed Parisian sense of style to Las Vegas."

MGM officials say the 13 dancers in the show all are members of the elite Paris dance troupe that has brought to life Bernardin's "art of the nude" concept.

The women of the Crazy Horse for five decades have gained international fame from their appearances in the show that combines detailed nude choreography with trademark lighting that in effect bathes their bodies in textured designs.

Among the famed dancers of the long-running show were the glittery Rita Renoir and Melodie Bubbles in the 1950s; Poupee La Rose and Bertha von Paraboum in the '60s; Norma Piccadilly and Vanilla Banana in the '70s; Cheetah Magnetic and Zara Nevada in the '80s; and Foxy Crescendo and Goldy Nugget in the '90s.

Such performers and many others over the years have drawn to their audiences numerous international celebrities, including Elvis Presley, Madonna, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren.

The modern Crazy Horse dancers are trained in ballet, which they integrate into the provocative adult choreography, MGM officials said.

"La Femme" performances will be in a new theater resembling the original Crazy Horse, duplicating the stage dimensions, interior designs and colors, MGM officials said.

Each show will feature a filmed history of the Crazy Horse and its dancers, covering the last half-century of its existence, MGM officials said.

Tickets can be obtained by calling the MGM box office at 891-7777 or toll-free out-of-state at (800) 929-1111. Tickets also can be obtained at the MGM website (www.mgmgrand.com).